Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area & Scenic Byway

The Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway starts in Idaho Springs: Highway 103 from I-70 exit 240 south to Echo Lake, then Highway 5 to the top. The Forest Service puts it at 28 miles, climbing over 7,000 feet to 14,130 feet, and manages it jointly with the Colorado Department of Transportation. Along it are the Mount Goliath Natural Area and Dos Chappell Nature Center, Summit Lake Park and the Lower and Upper Goliath trailheads; the Mount Evans Wilderness, 74,401 acres designated in 1980, lies on either side.

Rules on the Forest Service page: no camping, campfires or stove fires outside designated campgrounds or dispersed sites; dogs on a hand-held leash; a 30-foot vehicle length limit on Highway 5; no weddings, reunions or other group events along Highway 5 or at its developed sites. Fees and reservations are handled on recreation.gov, which the page links; the page itself does not state fee amounts or the timed-entry dates.

These notes were read on the Forest Service’s Scenic Byway page on 10 October 2026, last updated 8 September 2026, which said the road was open to Summit Lake and the upper portion closed for the season; the Mount Blue Sky Activities group page (updated 4 June 2026) listed the summit and Echo Lake Campground as closed. Check the conditions page before driving up.